Expert view: 5 garden do’s and don’ts
Landscape gardener Will Nash on common problems and simple insider tips.
Will Nash has years of experience landscaping and planting gardens for family homes, for kids to play in and adults to relax in.
Will’s gardening do’s and don’ts:
1. Slugs
I don’t like to use slug pellets. The slugs avoid them and if they do eat them birds who eat the slugs can be harmed by the pellets. Instead, try to encourage hedgehogs – they’re the perfect slug-clearer!
2. Lawns
Don’t presume the lawn needs replanting just because it’s gone pale under a few pots. However, it can die away when it’s in a shaded area. Try to keep fallen leaves cleared and in spring re-seed in those patches that died during darker months.
3. Trellis
It’s nice to add a bit of colour to your walls by putting up trellis, but it’s a common mistake to drill the trellis too close to the wall. It needs a good couple of inches space behind the frame to let the plants wind around it from both sides.
4. Bedding
Don’t buy bedding plants too small at the beginning of the season. By late-May or early-June they might look more ragged but their roots will be better developed. They’re cheaper by then, too.
5. Mulching
Some mulch is fine but don’t lay down too much or the base of your plants will no longer be protected by soil and they will be too shallow to get nourishment from the ground itself.
Savvy tip
Be confident! Anyone can do wonderful things in their garden if they just have a go. Just don’t make your plans too complicated.
Pass it on – know your soil
• Sandy soils will be more crumbly, a peaty soil is more spongy, a loam soil keeps its shape when you squeeze a handful in your palm but not quite so solidly as a clay soil. A chalky soil will have white flecks.
• You can buy an acidity tester from any garden centre but usually a soft water area is more likely to have acid soil.